Alec's Highs and Lows

Looking back on the past school year, there are a few ups and downs that I'd like to share with you in this post. When good things happen, that's great, but I try not to let a few bad things ruin my whole day. Back in elementary school, I learned that to make it a good day or not was my choice and I've tried to carry this attitude through middle school. Over all, I have loved my experiences at this school and enjoy learning anything and everything. I have grown physically, mentally, and spiritually. What more could my parents want for their money?

This year I got an awesome locker! Last year, I had a bottom locker and had to wait for others to move out of the way before I could get to mine. If I didn't, books or a football helmet fell on me (you know who you are!). I was literally in a danger zone. This year I got a top locker, on the very end of the row. It is amazing how quickly I can get something out or put something away. I actually have time to get a drink or whatever. As an added bonus, the seventh graders also got to get the bottom lockers because there are so few of us. It just kept getting better and better. *Thumbs up*

Another positive thing was when NBCA came out with the box lunch. Some days I didn't like what was being served at lunch. Now, whenever I don't like the main lunch choice I always have a backup. The box lunch comprises of a healthy grouping of vegetables, pasta, a sandwich, H2O, a bag of chips, and a cookie. It contains more food than the normal hot lunch choice, which makes it a better value for your $4.00. Last year I kept forgetting to pick up a lunch menu and was forced to blindly order. The chicken burger or the sloppy joe were the worst. This year I can always count on the box lunch and I never go hungry.

Have you ever did really well on an assignment but forget to turn it in? Well, I have done that, and the outcome can really hurt your grade point average. I have finished the assignment on time, or in some cases early but forgot to turn it in. It might take the teacher two days to post it on Renweb, and all the while I assume I turned it in. By the time I noticed I forgot and turned it in, it will be three days late. It's torturous to see how quickly your grade can plummet. It has happened to me more than twice and all I can say is: thank God for extra credit.

One day late:	Two days late:	Three days late or more:
20% reduction	40% reduction	100% reduction or 0

Being a member of student council was a definite highlight of the year for me. I was able to participate in a lot of fun activities with a great group of people. We visited an elderly care center and took the residents to the Comal County Fair. We worked hard in the game room at the Auction Gala and painting the middle school hallway. We were also responsible for implementing the Chick-Fil-A lunch days and Movie Nights. All of these activities required raising money, which we did by selling poinsettias, ice cream sundaes and movie tickets. Driving out to the poinsettia farm and loading a plethora of flora, was a favorite of mine. We got to talk all the way there and back on the bus ride. We also got to go to the Bisque Bistro, Olive Garden for lunch, and next week we get to skip school to go to Austin Parks & Pizza. Thank-you Mrs. A for a fun experience on Student Council. I hope I can be on it again next year.

Another thing in school that annoys me are the laptop computers. In the first place, about a third (or more) of the laptops are dead, so you have to have a charger plugged into them to keep them going. If the charger gets knocked out, you have to restart the whole laptop. Several of the rechargers are also broken. When I'm trying to load a page, the laptop takes so long that scientists could dub an epoch for it. Sometimes there aren't even enough of them to go around. On occasion, the hard work you typed mysteriously disappears and your forced to rewriting your paper, or whatever you were working on, all over again. And don't even get me started on the mac vs. PC argument.

This year I got glasses and braces. Yes, the glasses help me see better, but at first I didn't want to admit my eyesight wasn't that good. Braces I especially dislike. Soon after I got them on, I felt like I had something stuck in my mouth that I needed to pull out. The only thing, though, was I couldn't! My braces also restrict me from eating certain foods. Following a meal, I often get bits of food stuck between my braces. When I have to go get my braces tightened each month, my mouth is sore for the next few days. I will have to endure this long-suffering for the next two years.

To sum up this post, my seventh grade middle school year was mostly great. Though the lows I've been forced to remember for this assignment follow me as close as my shadow. I would recommend NBCA to everyone contemplating public school. I have learned a lot and made some really great friends. I'll miss everyone, teachers and classmates, who aren't coming back next year. Maybe some of you will decide to come back for high school. Have a fun summer.

-Alec